CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

True... ;-)

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

Well yeah, but.... Nikon put out very similar statements. Now they've announced there will be a Nikon-branded Black Rapid strap. Might be interesting to see how they back pedal on that one.

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

;)

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

It's as simple as the direction of the force being applies as opposed to the direction in which the force was designed to be applied.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

I wonder about that myself. Maybe they will follow the lead of our governmental leaders: "You're taking that out of context; under the circumstances, it should be obvious to everyone that what I said was addressing the current situation and had absolutely nothing to do with anything other than wild speculation, and certainly had no meaning with regard to what I should have been addressing. Now that I have addressed that matter, we can reasonably assume that any other interpretation of what you think I said was, at the very worst, a mix-up in communications and that is the responsibility of those foolish enough to take any statement of mine literally, particularly in the interests of Global Security!"

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Tried them both. The Black Rapid has more flexibility as it does attach to the tripod thread. This allows the strap to be used with a variety of long and heavy lenses, including those with tripod collars. You just attach the strap to the lens plate. Since I use either an L bracket or straight tripod plate on my camera, I attach the camera strap directly to the tripod thread on the plate anway. Using an Optech strap you'd have only the option of attaching the camera and not the lens. Which would put great strain on the two regular strap mounting points. The Optech is fine I suppose if you do not use anything longer than a 135mm lens. but if you use 150mm and longer, or 70-200 and longer zooms, it is less than optimal.

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

Just like the human neck is designed to support the weight of the head REGARDLESS of the direction of that support, so too are tripod lugs engineered to support the weight of the camera and the lens.

PERIOD. FULL STOP. ;)

Sitting on a tripod or hanging from a strap; the tripod lug is DESIGNED to support the weight of the camera and a range of lenses.

Tripod lug failure is an urban legend. If people think about it LOGICALLY, they understand why lug failure is NOTHING TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT. :mrgreen:

brian43053 Loc: Buffalo, NY

thank you - you have put it very plain and simple. I gotta believe that a screw the size of a tripod mount will be able to support just as much weight as the clips for the camera strap.

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

The only failures that occur over time is the wearing out of the thread, but I have had cameras for 30 years, on and off tripods all the time and never saw that happen. I think Optech's marketing people, without approval from product design or engineering, came up with that stuff all on their own. :)

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

^^^^YOU SIR.... are on to something!!! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

I have seen several tripod sockets fail, but none by hanging heavy cameras on them. In almost all cases, a user loses the camera mounting screw from the tripod and replaces it with a wing-bolt from the neighborhood hardware store, usually getting one that is too long which is then usually forced through the bushing (yes, even by some goon who uses a wrench when the "bolt thingy" wouldn't tighten down. One neighbor couldn't figure out why he couldn't put a new (proper length; I measured and told him what to get ¼-20) to fit anything, even after applying some bolt grease and a wench. Either my handwriting is worse than I thought or the sales rep was a complete dolt. He brought home several types - all ¼-28 - and didn't call me until he had proven that none of those bolts would fit any of his cameras, his binocular clamp or his Leitz spotting scope. Fortunately, we were able to drill out most of his sockets to re-tap them to ⅜ external thread adapters.

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

I have seen several tripod sockets fail, but none by hanging heavy cameras on them. In almost all cases, a user loses the camera mounting screw from the tripod and replaces it with a wing-bolt from the neighborhood hardware store, usually getting one that is too long which is then usually forced through the bushing (yes, even by some goon who uses a wrench when the "bolt thingy" wouldn't tighten down. One neighbor couldn't figure out why he couldn't put a new (proper length; I measured and told him what to get ¼-20) to fit anything, even after applying some bolt grease and a wench. Either my handwriting is worse than I thought or the sales rep was a complete dolt. He brought home several types - all ¼-28 - and didn't call me until he had proven that none of those bolts would fit any of his cameras, his binocular clamp or his Leitz spotting scope. Fortunately, we were able to drill out most of his sockets to re-tap them to ⅜ external thread adapters.

CHOLLY Loc: THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE!

Well... does operator error count? ESPECIALLY when the operator "re-engineers" the support system by installing the WRONG screws? ;)

ccastle Loc: Yucaipa, CA

I recently read a thread on this forum about using the tripod mount -- heard all the dire threats about this messing up your camera -- Reality, no one had a personal incident about their camera being messed up by securing with the tripod mount -- one incident that has been round and round the internet about a Nikon composite (plastic) body that had a problem.

Fact is, Nikon is selling a camera strap that connects to the tripod mount!

I love my Black Rapid strap!!

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

Fact is that, while Nikon is selling a BR strap, they have never admitted publicly that their earlier warnings about tripod-socket-mounted-straps were incorrect, premature or untrue. They have advised against such straps for years, but now that they have a product to sell, they have changed their tune. I an a Nikon user and a BR user, but my strap is connected to the strap lugs. And while there has been only one complaint documented about tripod socket failure BY A USER, strap companies themselves have documented failures under test. The fact is that the moment of inertia in the application of hanging a long and heavy lens laterally from a point of contact will cause wear on that point of contact. And don't send me that link showing a guy pulling his car with a tripod mount strap. First of all the tractive force applied was gentle. Second, tractive force is not weight. I can push a railroad handcar with one hand. But, if I'm hit by that same handcar being pushed and allowed to gain momentum, I will be badly injured or, more likely killed. On a level track, I have seen a caboose moved by hand by as few as four people, just as you can lift and lower a tripod mount strapped camera. Drop that camera from shooting position to carry position and, when your socket rips out, your camera and lens will suffer the same fate you would suffer if hit by that hand-pushed caboose. Nikon isn't going to sell me a strap or convince me to use one; Nikon HAS lowered my confidence in what they tell me about their products. I use Nikon, Canon, Panasonic, Minolta and Yashica cameras. Right now, I trust what Nikon says less than any other major manufacturer!